Bani-Sadr, under fire, threatens to resign

ByWITH ANALYSIS FROM MONITOR CORRESPONDENTS AROUND THE WORLDEDITED BY HILARY DEVRIESMarch 12, 1981

Tehran, Iran
— President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, under fire from Iran's dominant clergy over political violence at a rally he held last Thursday, threatened to resign Wednesday. The President has faced a recent barrage of charges, including abuse of power, from his political opponents.

In addition, Iranian Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Rajai Wednesday won parliamentary approval of a bill to name chiefs of two economic ministries in a fresh victory for Islamic fundamentalist forces challenging Bani-Sadr's presidency.

Meanwhile in Geneva, the International Red Cross Committee reports that Iranian officials say 250,000 people have sought refuge in the eastern province of Khorasan as a result of fighting in Afghanistan and the Iran-Iraq war.